Twenty-five Romanians who were the victims of racist intimidation in Belfast left Northern Ireland today, with 75 others due to leave later this week. The Stormont social development minister, Margaret Ritchie, confirmed earlier today that 100 of a group of 114 who had been targeted in racist attacks wanted to return to Romania. Ritchie said only 14 of the Romanians subjected to the attacks - a family of seven and seven single men - had opted to remain in Belfast.
The Stormont social development minister, Margaret Ritchie, confirmed earlier today that 100 of a group of 114 who had been targeted in racist attacks wanted to return to Romania.
Ritchie said only 14 of the Romanians subjected to the attacks - a family of seven and seven single men - had opted to remain in Belfast.
Meanwhile, the Belfast church in which the Romanians took shelter after the attacks has been vandalised. Seven windows in the Belfast City church were smashed and the front door damaged in the attack, which happened overnight.
Seven windows in the Belfast City church were smashed and the front door damaged in the attack, which happened overnight.
In a letter from the Equality and Human Rights Commission, Nick Griffin, the BNP leader, was told that he had less than a month to provide written undertakings that the party would abide by race relations legislation. John Wadham, legal director of the Commission, said that the watchdog was concerned that the BNP's constitution and membership criteria could be in breach of the law. Party membership was said by the Commission to be restricted to those with white skin and a small number of other ethnic groups. In a statement, the watchdog added: "This exclusion is contrary to the Race Relations Act which the party is legally obliged to comply with. The Commission therefore thinks that the BNP may have acted, and be acting, illegally."
John Wadham, legal director of the Commission, said that the watchdog was concerned that the BNP's constitution and membership criteria could be in breach of the law.
Party membership was said by the Commission to be restricted to those with white skin and a small number of other ethnic groups.
In a statement, the watchdog added: "This exclusion is contrary to the Race Relations Act which the party is legally obliged to comply with. The Commission therefore thinks that the BNP may have acted, and be acting, illegally."
There were further concerns over the requirement on new staff to be party members, and fears that elected BNP representatives would be unwilling to provide help and support to non-white constituents. If the BNP does not provide written undertakings by July 20 that it will make the changes required by the Commission voluntarily, then the watchdog said that it would apply for a legal injunction which would compel them to comply.
If the BNP does not provide written undertakings by July 20 that it will make the changes required by the Commission voluntarily, then the watchdog said that it would apply for a legal injunction which would compel them to comply.
He tried to claim that the BNP would positively love to have ethnic minority members, but they were forced to be monoracial in order to have the protection of "European legislation". That is, acting against the BNP (by telling policemen, clergy etc that membership is incompatible with their chosen career) is, according to the BNP, racial discrimination.
I would love to see that one in court.
Ukraine's parliament has set a date for the country's presidential election, ending a dispute over its timing. It will be held on 17 January, after a motion proposing that date was approved by 399 out of a total of 450 lawmakers. The vote had been scheduled for October 2009, but President Viktor Yushchenko challenged that date and received the backing of the Constitutional Court. Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko, his former ally and political rival, says she also intends to run for president.
It will be held on 17 January, after a motion proposing that date was approved by 399 out of a total of 450 lawmakers.
The vote had been scheduled for October 2009, but President Viktor Yushchenko challenged that date and received the backing of the Constitutional Court.
Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko, his former ally and political rival, says she also intends to run for president.
Right-wing Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has arrived in Italy on his first official trip to Europe, where he is expected to push Rome, and later Paris, to toughen sanctions against Iran. Netanyahu first met for talks with his Italian counterpart, Silvio Berlusconi, on Tuesday to discuss the situation in the Middle East, especially the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. But at their joint press conference, he focused on Iran, praising the courage of Iranian protesters and calling Tehran the "greatest threat to peace" in the region.
Netanyahu first met for talks with his Italian counterpart, Silvio Berlusconi, on Tuesday to discuss the situation in the Middle East, especially the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
But at their joint press conference, he focused on Iran, praising the courage of Iranian protesters and calling Tehran the "greatest threat to peace" in the region.
French naval vessels detected a weak signal from the flight data recorders, according to French newspaper Le Monde. They said that a mini submarine has been dispatched on Monday to try and find the black boxes on the bottom of the ocean floor. The "black boxes" may contain vital information that could help explain what happened when the Airbus A330 aircraft crashed into the sea en route from Rio de Janeiro to Paris on June 1.
They said that a mini submarine has been dispatched on Monday to try and find the black boxes on the bottom of the ocean floor.
The "black boxes" may contain vital information that could help explain what happened when the Airbus A330 aircraft crashed into the sea en route from Rio de Janeiro to Paris on June 1.
Earlier, the French publication Le Monde reported that beacon signals emitted by the black boxes frequently from the day of the crash on June 1 were picked up by French ships and the mini submarine Nautile has been launched to investigate the signal. The aide to France's top transport official, Jean-Louis Borloo, told The Associated Press that the "black boxes have not been detected." She spoke on the condition of anonymity.
The aide to France's top transport official, Jean-Louis Borloo, told The Associated Press that the "black boxes have not been detected."
She spoke on the condition of anonymity.
So, announcing they'd found them would be embarrassing until they'd assessed the situation. keep to the Fen Causeway
Germany has more Muslims than it originally thought, with nearly half of them holding German citizenship and thus able to vote in elections, according to a government survey released Tuesday, which found Muslims were religious but tended to be less socially integrated. Muslims make up five percent of Germany's 80 million population, two percent more than most common estimates, according to the first survey of German Muslims. Muslims in Germany are the largest minority in the country and Europe's second largest after France. Despite immigrating to Germany since the 1960s, German Muslims continue to suffer from a catalogue of deprivations like unemployment, lack of education and political representation.
Muslims make up five percent of Germany's 80 million population, two percent more than most common estimates, according to the first survey of German Muslims.
Muslims in Germany are the largest minority in the country and Europe's second largest after France. Despite immigrating to Germany since the 1960s, German Muslims continue to suffer from a catalogue of deprivations like unemployment, lack of education and political representation.
In fact, one could say that it's nothign short of amazing that you now have so many candidates at the local level. In the long run, we're all dead. John Maynard Keynes
They have very little in common, beyond that useless and largely inappropriate "we're at war with Eastasia" label. In the long run, we're all dead. John Maynard Keynes
It's downright scary.
Swedish Foreign Minister Carl Bildt says the European Union is putting Croatia's EU entry talks on ice after the country failed to resolve a border spat with neighboring Slovenia. Setting out the main priorities for Sweden's upcoming six-month EU presidency, Bildt told a news conference in Brussels on Monday that the Croatia-Slovenia issue was a bilateral matter, and that no fresh attempts would be made to settle the border dispute. "I think now is the time for a period of reflection in both countries. This is a bilateral dispute," he said, adding it was primarily up to Slovenia and Croatia to resolve the row, which dates back to the 1991 break-up of Yugoslavia. Last week an EU mediation bid to resolve a land-and-sea border dispute between Croatia and EU member Slovenia collapsed.
Setting out the main priorities for Sweden's upcoming six-month EU presidency, Bildt told a news conference in Brussels on Monday that the Croatia-Slovenia issue was a bilateral matter, and that no fresh attempts would be made to settle the border dispute.
"I think now is the time for a period of reflection in both countries. This is a bilateral dispute," he said, adding it was primarily up to Slovenia and Croatia to resolve the row, which dates back to the 1991 break-up of Yugoslavia.
Last week an EU mediation bid to resolve a land-and-sea border dispute between Croatia and EU member Slovenia collapsed.
EUOBSERVER / BRUSSELS - With just over a week to go before Sweden takes over the helm of the EU's six-month rotating presidency, the country's foreign minister, Carl Bildt, has made it clear he does not intend to waste time attempting to unblock the many bilateral disputes that currently pepper the EU's diplomatic landscape. Sweden's Foreign Minister Carl Bildt (r) and Minister for European Affairs Cecilia Malmstrom (l) present their presidency programme "I would like to emphasise that responsibility for solving bilateral issues lies primarily with the countries concerned. You can't expect the world to solve your bilateral issues. You'll have to solve them yourselves," said Mr Bildt on Monday (22 June) speaking to reporters in Brussels while presenting plans for Sweden's presidency. In the Balkans, Croatian accession talks are currently blocked by Slovenia due to a border dispute, with Sweden's foreign minister saying it is now time for "a period of reflection in both countries."
EUOBSERVER / BRUSSELS - With just over a week to go before Sweden takes over the helm of the EU's six-month rotating presidency, the country's foreign minister, Carl Bildt, has made it clear he does not intend to waste time attempting to unblock the many bilateral disputes that currently pepper the EU's diplomatic landscape.
Sweden's Foreign Minister Carl Bildt (r) and Minister for European Affairs Cecilia Malmstrom (l) present their presidency programme
"I would like to emphasise that responsibility for solving bilateral issues lies primarily with the countries concerned. You can't expect the world to solve your bilateral issues. You'll have to solve them yourselves," said Mr Bildt on Monday (22 June) speaking to reporters in Brussels while presenting plans for Sweden's presidency.
In the Balkans, Croatian accession talks are currently blocked by Slovenia due to a border dispute, with Sweden's foreign minister saying it is now time for "a period of reflection in both countries."
Aurelio Juri, who replaced Prime Minister Borut Pahor as MEP last autumn, is leaving the coalition Social Democratic Party (SD). The reason for his decision is Slovenia's blockade of Croatia's EU accession talks, Juri told STA on Wednesday.
EUOBSERVER / BRUSSELS - In a historic speech before a joint session of the French parliament on Monday (22 June), President Nicolas Sarkozy said that the global economic crisis meant that "nothing will be the same any more" and pleaded for change in both France and Europe as a whole. "The crisis is not over. We don't know when it will end," Mr Sarkozy told the 920 parliamentarians and senators gathered together as the French Congress at the Palace of Versailles, once the home of Louis XIV. The French president spoke before senators and parliamentarians for the first time since the 19th century "Thinking of the crisis as brackets that will soon be closed ... would be a fatal mistake. Nothing will be the same ever again. A crisis of this magnitude always calls for profound questioning. We cannot witness such a catastrophe without questioning the ideas, the values, the decisions that led to such a result," the president went on. The French leader, who was the first president to speak before parliament since Charles-Louis Napoleon Bonaparte in 1848, talked about the country's need to modernise its labour market, schools, universities and pension system.
EUOBSERVER / BRUSSELS - In a historic speech before a joint session of the French parliament on Monday (22 June), President Nicolas Sarkozy said that the global economic crisis meant that "nothing will be the same any more" and pleaded for change in both France and Europe as a whole.
"The crisis is not over. We don't know when it will end," Mr Sarkozy told the 920 parliamentarians and senators gathered together as the French Congress at the Palace of Versailles, once the home of Louis XIV.
The French president spoke before senators and parliamentarians for the first time since the 19th century
"Thinking of the crisis as brackets that will soon be closed ... would be a fatal mistake. Nothing will be the same ever again. A crisis of this magnitude always calls for profound questioning. We cannot witness such a catastrophe without questioning the ideas, the values, the decisions that led to such a result," the president went on.
The French leader, who was the first president to speak before parliament since Charles-Louis Napoleon Bonaparte in 1848, talked about the country's need to modernise its labour market, schools, universities and pension system.
Parliament summoned to Versailles to hear PresidentNicholas Sarkozy yesterday trod where no French president for 161 years has dared, or chosen, to tread when he spoke to parliament. After a constitutional change, completed a few hours before, M. Sarkozy addressed both houses of parliament gathered in the Palace of Versailles to explain his vision of the future of France and of the world. Presidential Question Time it was not. The parliamentarians were forbidden to intervene while the President was speaking. They were forbidden to ask questions. The President's 50-minute speech was followed by a debate but M. Sarkozy departed before it began. As a result, Green and Communist parliamentarians boycotted the speech. Socialists listened in silence but boycotted the debate. President Sarkozy's centre-right supporters gave him a rhythmic standing ovation.
Nicholas Sarkozy yesterday trod where no French president for 161 years has dared, or chosen, to tread when he spoke to parliament.
After a constitutional change, completed a few hours before, M. Sarkozy addressed both houses of parliament gathered in the Palace of Versailles to explain his vision of the future of France and of the world.
Presidential Question Time it was not. The parliamentarians were forbidden to intervene while the President was speaking. They were forbidden to ask questions. The President's 50-minute speech was followed by a debate but M. Sarkozy departed before it began.
As a result, Green and Communist parliamentarians boycotted the speech. Socialists listened in silence but boycotted the debate. President Sarkozy's centre-right supporters gave him a rhythmic standing ovation.
Is it too much to ask to stop lionizing things like that? Previous presidents were banned by the Constitution to do so, and chose to uphold it.
Sarkozy bought a Constitutional change through threats (to UMP members who, in great numbers, hated the amendments and would have rejected it with secret ballots) and promises (to people like Baillet, who pretty much sold his party's votes), so that he could do so.
It's not being brave, it's being immensely vain, and quite ready to weaken the country's stability so that one can read in some newspaper that "Nicholas Sarkozy yesterday trod where no French president for 161 years has dared, or chosen, to tread when he spoke to parliament." "Few can believe that suffering, especially by others, is in vain. - Galbraith"
I know the UK has elaborate rituals around the Queen's yearly address to underscore Parliament's independence from the Sovereign as a result of the English Revolution, but still... A man of words and not of deeds is like a garden full of weeds; a man of deeds and not of words is like a garden full of turds — Anonymous
afew is right that this is just about Sarkozy being able to do a "State of the Union" lookalike.
And the most ironic thing is that Monday's speech is widely seen in France (inclduing by all the rightwing people) as extremely mediocre and empty... In the long run, we're all dead. John Maynard Keynes
this is just about Sarkozy being able to do a "State of the Union" lookalike
But I am not asking only about the Constitution of the 5th republic - the rule was introduced in the 3rd Republic. A man of words and not of deeds is like a garden full of weeds; a man of deeds and not of words is like a garden full of turds — Anonymous
EUOBSERVER / BRUSSELS - One year after its launch, the European Commission says pure "market forces" are ensuring its lobbyist register is a success but critics say the refusal to make it mandatory is a fatal weakness as law firms and think-tanks drag their feet in signing up. With 1,600 entries on the register, representing thousands of individual lobbyists, and a signing up rate of about 30 to 40 a week, the commission says its "voluntary approach (..) has been confirmed by these numbers." The commission has no plans to make the register mandatory Corporate inhouse lobbyists and trade representatives account for around 900 of the entries with the system asking for the area of interest, number of employees and amount of money spent of representing its interests to the EU. NGOs make up most of the rest. Jens Nymand Christensen, the commission official in charge of the issue, said commission staff is now being actively encouraged to ask lobbyists or companies looking for some face time if they are in the register.
EUOBSERVER / BRUSSELS - One year after its launch, the European Commission says pure "market forces" are ensuring its lobbyist register is a success but critics say the refusal to make it mandatory is a fatal weakness as law firms and think-tanks drag their feet in signing up.
With 1,600 entries on the register, representing thousands of individual lobbyists, and a signing up rate of about 30 to 40 a week, the commission says its "voluntary approach (..) has been confirmed by these numbers."
The commission has no plans to make the register mandatory
Corporate inhouse lobbyists and trade representatives account for around 900 of the entries with the system asking for the area of interest, number of employees and amount of money spent of representing its interests to the EU. NGOs make up most of the rest.
Jens Nymand Christensen, the commission official in charge of the issue, said commission staff is now being actively encouraged to ask lobbyists or companies looking for some face time if they are in the register.
Only 24% of Brussels lobbies registered, but Commission claims success On the first anniversary of the European Commission's lobby transparency register, less than one in four Brussels-based lobby groups and firms have signed up. At a press briefing yesterday, however, the Commission hailed the register as "a success" and argued that "the numbers do not point to an instant need to make registration compulsory." For the ALTER-EU coalition, in contrast, such a large majority ignoring the register proves the failure of the Commission's voluntary approach. ALTER-EU yesterday published an updated assessment of the register which shows that: the total number of registrations is now 1604, of which only 625 have offices in Brussels; less than 24% of Brussels-based lobby organisations and firms have registered so far (based on the European Parliament's estimate of 2,600 lobby groups with offices in Brussels in 2000); the European Public Affairs Directory lists 165 consultancies in Brussels. Just 25 of these are on the Commission's register, putting the compliance rate for this crucial category at a meagre 15%; Of the 330 companies listed in the European Public Affairs Directory, only 86 feature in the Commission's register, which means that just 26% of companies with Brussels-based lobby offices have registered. On 4 June, ALTER-EU published a detailed report highlighting the flawed information contained in the register and putting forward concrete proposals for solving the shortcomings.
On the first anniversary of the European Commission's lobby transparency register, less than one in four Brussels-based lobby groups and firms have signed up. At a press briefing yesterday, however, the Commission hailed the register as "a success" and argued that "the numbers do not point to an instant need to make registration compulsory."
For the ALTER-EU coalition, in contrast, such a large majority ignoring the register proves the failure of the Commission's voluntary approach.
ALTER-EU yesterday published an updated assessment of the register which shows that:
The Netherlands - The bicycle is the means of transport used most often in Amsterdam. Between 2005 and 2007 people in the city used their bikes on average 0.87 times a day, compared to 0.84 for their cars. This is the first time that bicycle use exceeds car use. In 2006 the inhabitants of Amsterdam engaged in some 2 million trips a day, an 8% reduction compared to 1990. This is due to the number of trips per person per day falling from 3.6 to 3.1%. The number of transfers has fallen in the old city within the ring road in particular. The number of trips by car, compared to 1990, has fallen in all districts (-14%), whereas the number of trips by bicycle has only risen within the ring road (+36%)...
In 2006 the inhabitants of Amsterdam engaged in some 2 million trips a day, an 8% reduction compared to 1990. This is due to the number of trips per person per day falling from 3.6 to 3.1%. The number of transfers has fallen in the old city within the ring road in particular.
The number of trips by car, compared to 1990, has fallen in all districts (-14%), whereas the number of trips by bicycle has only risen within the ring road (+36%)...
Amsterdam is doing this right.
That said, Amsterdam has certainly been a lot more consistent in promoting bike use than other places, including Paris. In the long run, we're all dead. John Maynard Keynes
With some 20,000 bicycles available free for short trips in the city, and another 3,000 being stationed in the suburbs, the Paris program is one of the most ambitious of its kind. The chunky bicycles have become part of the city landscape, with nearly 1,000 bicycle stations servicing most neighbourhoods and an average of 78,000 trips taken each day. Nearly a quarter of a million people have subscribed to the program, meaning they can unlock a bike using their public transit pass, rather using a credit card for a deposit.
The chunky bicycles have become part of the city landscape, with nearly 1,000 bicycle stations servicing most neighbourhoods and an average of 78,000 trips taken each day. Nearly a quarter of a million people have subscribed to the program, meaning they can unlock a bike using their public transit pass, rather using a credit card for a deposit.
However, the article in Canada's Globe and Mail focuses on the theft and vandalism that hurts the program, Paris's pedal power sets free uncivilized behaviour. Sigh.
I'm not too sure if this is true:
most of the cars driven in and around Paris come from the suburbs, where people do not benefit from the density of public transport in the inner center. THe same remains true in Amsterdam.
Define suburbs for Amsterdam... Anything outside the ring road?
